Answer to Question #180427 in Management for Thembi Khoza

Question

The need for a “modern theory on constraint management” arose as a result of the tendency to overestimate activity durations. Why then, if there is a tendency to overestimate activity durations and add in a safety net to the end of a project, do so many projects still come in behind schedule.

 

Answer 1

Projects still come in behind schedule due to the following reasons;

·      Underestimation of funds - this might be experienced in case of unexpected increase in prices or in case of unexpected expenses that may arise making a project to take much more time before the funding again.

·      Poor management of the project - this is bad leadership in a project task. In case the project manager does not give proper direction and carry out his tasks effectively, the project completion will delay.

·      Poor time estimation - in case time scheduled for some activities within the project is unrealistic, for example longer than the real activity time, the project may come in behind schedule.

·      Too many stakeholders in one project, when there is a need to make a decision before moving on with the project, the decision-making process may take long before they all agree on way forward hence delaying the project.

·      Poor communication - for any successful project, proper communication between all stakeholders involved in a project is a must. A project might delay in case of miscommunications or misunderstandings among those working on a project.